A perceived lack of workplace support and less time residing in Singapore appear to contribute to the development of burnout among Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in the post-COVID era, suggests a local study.
“There is a potential need to implement individual and organizational interventions that target those at greatest risk for burnout, in particular younger AHPs, foreign staff, and those exhibiting symptoms of anxiety and depression,” the researchers said.
An anonymized email survey was conducted among AHPs in Singapore. The research team used the following instruments in their survey: the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Leisure Time Satisfaction Survey, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-4 items, Brief form of Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, and the Demand Control Support Questionnaire.
Overall, 136 responses were gathered, of which 95 (69.9 percent) came from female health professionals. [Proc Singap Healthc 2026;doi:10.1177/20101058261451632]
Burnout was common among younger personnel (20‒29 years old), those with less social support at work, and those with shorter duration of residence in Singapore (≤15 years; p<0.05).
Younger age
“Our findings that younger age was a significant predictor for burnout is not an isolated one,” the researchers said. “Several studies have shown that burnout scores were highest in healthcare workers below age 30.” [Front Public Health 2021;9:667379; Nurs Rep 2023;13:721-730]
On the other hand, it is also possible that the older staff have resigned from the hospital due to burnout, thus excluding themselves from the current survey, according to the researchers.
“Yet there were others who found that older workers showed less propensity for burnout, with the postulation that work experience could be a protective factor,” they said.
In surveys of Australian psychologists and Polish physiotherapies, more years of working experience correlated with less burnout. Likewise, a study of American social workers found that older professionals were less likely to experience burnout. [Psychol Health Med 2014;19:705-715; Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2014;27:224-235; https://swra.oxfordjournals.org/]
Social support
Furthermore, in the current study, burnout significantly correlated with psychological distress and was more likely to occur among those with higher PHQ scores (p<0.05). Gender, singlehood, work experience, lack of immediate family residing locally, social support outside of work, and satisfaction with leisure time showed no significant association with burnout.
“Interestingly, our data showed that social support outside of the workplace did not seem to impact burnout significantly,” the researchers said. “This goes against the expectation that reduced social support leads to increased burnout, as one would assume that frequent interactions with family and friends should reduce burnout risks.”
The finding also contradicts previous research showing that social isolation and the removal of the supportive effects of family and friends result in burnout. [Front Psychol 2021;11:623587]
Additionally, having more leisure satisfaction had no significant impact on burnout rates, in contrast to other studies suggesting that those who engaged in non-work activities (ie, physical exercise) were less likely to experience burnout. [Eur J Oncol Nurs 2015;19:23-28]
“Instead, our findings indicate that workplace support rather than external support made a greater impact over whether one ultimately suffered from burnout,” the researchers said.
Work hours
“Local factors could also help to explain our findings,” they added. For instance, international surveys and analyses report the “disproportionate” effect of working life on the average Singaporean.
A 2022 study ranked Singapore as the 4th most overworked city out of 100 cities analysed, while another study in 2021 ranked the Singapore 10th out of 63 economies for average working hours per year, in which a higher rank indicates longer working hours. [https://www.getkisi.com/work-life-balance-2022; https://stats.mom.gov.sg/Pages/Singapore-World-Competitiveness-Ranking.aspx#:∼:text=3-Based-on-IMD’s-computation,5th-Taiwan-(+222-hours)]
“Given the workplace’s outsized role locally, it is not surprising that workplace support seems to possess greater significance in moderating burnout over non-workplace support,” the researchers said.